Interrogating Caste: Understanding Hierarchy and Difference in Indian Society

Dipankar Gupta questions the assumption that India's caste system can be understood only through a rigid hierarchy. He explores how individual castes perceive their own position, how caste identities remain distinct, and how economic and political power influence relationships between caste groups. Drawing on examples from states including Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the book also examines caste and electoral politics.

Dipankar Gupta is an Indian sociologist and social scientist known for his work on caste, social stratification, modernity and Indian society. His scholarship combines sociological theory with empirical studies of contemporary India. In Interrogating Caste, he brings a critical perspective to conventional theories of caste hierarchy and examines caste as a complex social, political and economic phenomenon.

The book investigates the structure and functioning of caste in India, beginning with the relationship between hierarchy and difference. Gupta examines whether caste groups can genuinely be placed within a single, universally accepted hierarchy and explores how social identities are shaped by power, occupation, political organization and historical circumstances. The book also discusses caste mobilization, political behaviour, economic forces and the changing nature of caste in modern India.